Cigarette-case.



H D. HOUGH.

CIGARETTE CASE.

APPucMloN Flu-:005914, 1914.

1,170,067. Patented 116111, 1916.

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HERBERT D. HOUGH, 0F CRANSTQN, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOB TO WIGHTMAN 6c HQUGH COMPANY, O F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION' 0F RHODE ISLAND.

CIGARETTE-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Application'iled December 14, 1914. Serial No. 877,040.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT D. Housing Cigarette-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cigar or 'garette cases of the class having a holder between the lids for supporting the contents of the case, and the object of the invention is to provide simple,.practical' and effective means for opening the lids when released by the catch, supporting the holder in medial position between the lids when open, and also for normally retaining the members of the holder in closed position to grip and support the contents of the casing. B v this construction the cigarettes are presented in an upright position relative to the lids rendering them very accessible and in position to be drawn out endwise from the holden With these and other objects in view, the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, as will be more fully de-y scribed and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure lis a perspective view showing the casing in open position and the holder centrally supported between the lids and retaining a plurality of cigarettes. Fig. 2- is a side elevation with one of the lids removed showing the mechanism for operating the holder` and the latter as being filled with cigarettes. Fig. 3- is a greatly enlarged side elevation of the holder and the mechanism for operating the same.v Fig.' 4.- is a setional end elevation on line ,lt-4.' of F ig. 3. Fig. 5- is an end view of the holder showing the arrangement of flutes or recesses therein. whereby the cigarettes are held to over-lap each other. so as toreduce th'c width of the casing to the minimum which is designed to carry a given number of cigarettes. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the standard members designed to support the holder.

Referring to they drawings 9 and 10 designate the two lids of the casing. which are preferably formed concave and'are hinged together as at l1 by the passing of the usual hinge spindle 1Q through alternate eyes 13 and 14 connected to the opposite lids.

It is found in practice very desirable to provide a holder in a casing for supportlng the cigarettes in a medial position when the casing is opened so as to present the contents in a most convenient position to be easily removed therefrom, and also to facilitate the loading of the -holder when empty. In the construction of such a holder I have formed two side members 15' and 16 both of which are oppositely iuted at 7 and 8. Their lower portions being turned inwardly as at 17, see F ig. 4, to form a bottom. to the holder, the upper portion of the holder being left open to receive the oiga'- rettes a into the recesses'or sockets formed by the flutes, and I .havehinged these two members together at 18 and 19, see Figs. 2 and xwhereby they may be swung open suliciently to readily receive the cigarettes and then closed against the same to bind and hold them in position lby action of the springs presently described. This holder is supported on a pair of standards 20 otally mounted on the hinge spindle 12, the upper end 21 of ea'h being turned at an angle, see Fig. 6, and on which portion the member 15 of the holder is'rigidly secured.

In order to provide the necessary actions or movements to this holder, I have provided a pair of simple bow-shaped springs Q2 and 23, one connected to the outer edge of each of these holder members. The middle of the spring 22 is connected by the eye member Qi to the holder member l5 and its ends are slidably supported in the eye members '26 attached to the lid 9.-whi le the middle portion of the spring 23 is connected to the opposite'holder member 16 by the eye 2T and its opposite ends 28 are lloosely mounted to slide endwise in the eyes 29 fixed to the Harige portion of the lid 10. By this simple and practical arrangement of the two bow-shaped springs I perform the'following functions. First z-The action of these springs upon the lids causes them to immediately open when released by the catch 30,

Vthe extent ot' which opening is limited to the same time providing suflicient yieldability 4side members in closed position.

ling a given number of cigarettes.

tion.

4bers together and norma-llyretain them in closed position to engage and support the cigarettes. held between them and at 'the to permit the members to be swung apart on'f their hinges as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4, when it is desired to load the holder. Y

As illustrated in Fig. 5 the iutes of the holder are set somewhat staggering or-out' of transverse alinement with each other so that the cigarettes which are formed oval or oblong in cross section when placed therein instead of setting edge'to edge are caused to overlap each other thereby reducing. the width. of casing to the minimum for receiv- My improved device is extremely simple in construct-ion and practical .in its operalVhile I have shown and described the invention as appliedto a cigarettecase it will beiunderstoodthat the invention is adaptedv for use in other similar articles where it is desired to support a holder in central position when the lids of the case are in open or closed position, such forexample as vanity cases, card-cases, `match-cases, -coinholders and the like. It will be understood that I" do not wish to limit myself to the lprecise construction shown and described as'changes" may be made in the details of construction without departing from-the spirit and scope of the invention.-

I'claim:

; 1. A case of the character described-com- -prising'a pair of hinged lids, a standard mounted on a hinge between said lids, a, holder attached to said standard, and springs interposed between the lids and the holder to open the lids and bearing on the -holder to centralize the same. i

2. A' casel of the character described comprlsing a pair of hinged lids,..a standard mounted on the lid hinge, a hold'eLattached to said standard, and springs interposed-.ibe-

tween' the lids and the holder to open the 4lids and bearingon the holder to centralize the same.

2 5. 'A case of the character described comprising a pair of hinged lids, a standard mounted on a hinge between said lids, a

holder attached to said standard, flexible wires disposed lengthwise of the hinge and located on opposite sides of the holder, and interposed between the lids and theholder to open the lids and bearing on the, holder to centi-alize the same.

4. An article of the character .described n comprising a pair of hinged lids, a holder formed of two pivoted side members mounted between'l said lids and exible means interposed between each side member j and its adjacent lid and acting to retain said 5. A caseof the character described comprising two lids hinged together, a holder constructed Aof two side members hinged together .between thelids, and a springinter- ',osed between 'eachY side member andeachj70 id'to open 'the lids yclose said side-members,4 and centralizeV the holder'. n i n 6. An article of the character described comprising two lids hinged together, aV holder pivotally mounted between the lids and comprising two separableside members each having an inwardly .turned bottom por' tion and a spring interposed between the bottom portionof each side member and the- -v adjacent lid. Y .80'

7. An article of the character described comprising two lids hinged together, a

vmounted between said lids and spring wires extending lengthwise of the hinge and en.

gaging. said lids and holder, the points of engagement ofthe holder lwith the spring wires on opposite sides of the hinge being spaced from each other a distance substan- -Y tiallv equalv to the distance vbetween 'the pointsof engagement. of the lids with said spring wires on kopposite sides of the hinge in all relative positions of the lids.

9. An article of the character described -comprising a pair of hinged lids provided with spring-engaging members, a holder hinged between said lids and also provided:

with spring lengaging members, and spring.l

wire-s extending lengthwise of the hinge and attached to the spring-engaging .members of the holder and the lids, the spring- .engaging members of said holder n opposite sides 0:? the hinge being spaced from each other a distance substantially equal tol the distance between the spring-engaging A members of said lids on opposite sides of the hinge in all relative positions of the lids.-

In testimonvwhereof I affix mv` signature in presence of twowitnesses. v

HERBERT D. HOUGH. lVitnesses': l 4 i HOWARD E. BARLow, A. F. MACREADY; 

